QUICK LINKS: 2026 Interest / Bands / Nonprofits / Judges / Sponsors / Photo / Video

Thursday, September 11, 2025
The Atlantis
Over $149K fundraised

Overall Winner: Malicious Code (BakerHostetler; Fish and Richardson; Taft Stettinius & Hollister) for Catholic Charities Legal Network
Judges’ Choice Award: Night Work. (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld) for Blood Cancer United
Hustle & Heart Award: Almost Noise (in the Basement) (Venable) for Friends of ROAM
Music Matters Recipient: Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education

Law Rocks Washington DC 2025 Overall Winner Malicious Code (*BakerHostetler; Fish and Richardson; Taft Stettinius & Hollister*) rocking for Catholic Charities Legal Network

Photo by Carolina Guerreiro

Eight bands of legal rock stars took the stage at The Atlantis this Thursday for the Tenth Annual Law Rocks Washington DC. The sold-out evening celebrated a decade of bringing the local legal community together to rock for a good cause, and raised over $149,000 for deserving local charities. The audience danced and sang along, cheering for their favorite band as they took their moment in the spotlight.

In addition to the stellar performances by each talented band, the Music Matters grant was presented to the Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education. The grant was accepted by CEO and Founder, A. Toni Lewis, as well as FAME executive Julian Wilson and FAME students Myles Islas and Jayden Spence. It was inspiring to learn more about FAME’s multi-faceted approach through music and education. Read more about the organization in our Nonprofit Spotlight on FAME.

Law Rocks Executive Director Omi Crawford presents the 2025 Law Rocks DC Music Matters grant to FAME CEO and Founder, A. Toni Lewis, joined by FAME executive Julian Wilson and FAME students Myles Islas and Jayden Spence.
Photo by Carolina Guerreiro

Many thanks to the team at The Atlantis; the Rock Panel of Judges: Reginald Payne, Stacy Puente, Faith Roberts, and Gregory Wells; our host Valerie Ojeda; and our nonprofit guests. None of this would be possible without our Hall of Fame sponsors CYPFER; and Venable; tour sponsor Secretariat; Headliner sponsor Somos; top sponsors Akin; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Taft Stettinius & Hollister; Verizon; Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh; and Willkie Farr & Gallagher; and the additional generous sponsors who helped make the night possible: AT&T; BakerHostetler; Kator Parks Weiser & Wright; and Wilkinson Barker Knaur. We are grateful for your support and love having you be part of our event!

Please consider making a contribution to support Law Rocks World Tour and ensure we keep rocking the globe for years to come!

ROCK WITH US!

Are you ready for your turn in the spotlight? Join the Interest List for Law Rocks Washington DC 2026 now, and be first to be notified when applications open!

Featured

Almost Noise (In The Basement)

Featuring legal talent from Venable
Rocking for Friends of ROAM (Rock of Ages Music)

Almost Noise (in the Basement) is a high-energy rock band born from the legendary, multi-time Law Rocks champion Noise in the Basement. This new lineup blends three NITB veterans with four rocking lawyers from Venable LLP—one of whom is a crossover member—and a former-lawyer guest star adding vocal firepower. Expect dueling guitars, powerhouse vocals, and a stage presence that’s all-in on fun. Whether you’re here for the music or the mayhem, Almost Noise is ready to lay down the law and bring down the house!

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Instagram
www.nitbband.com

Harmful Interference

Featuring legal talent from Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Industry Association, USTelecom, Verizon, Somos, and Interlink Capital Strategies
Rocking for Miriam's Kitchen

Harmful interference was formed in the Spring of 2019 with the quickly achieved goal of becoming the world’s greatest telecom lawyer rock band. Rocking audiences from DC to Atlanta to Chicago, the band’s reputation has grown exponentially in the following years. The band presently includes telecom industry legends Patrick Halley, guitar/vocals/off-color humor (Wireless Infrastructure Association, formerly FCC, USTelecom, Wilkinson Barker Knauer); Kristi Thompson, Vocals/percussion/robocall cop (FCC), Brandon Heiner, vocals/guitar/gear master (USTelecom, formerly Hill staff, Lumen), Joel Bernstein, bass/definitely not vocals/next-level conversation skills (Somos, formerly Temple Strategies); Randy Clarke, drums/practice space purveyor/smoldering intensity (Verizon, formerly FCC, Lumen); along with telecom outsider Jozsef Szamosfalvi (Interlink Capital Strategies, highest scoring scrabble name in the history of Law Rocks DC with 53 points).

Larry and the LandLawyers

Featuring legal talent from Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh
Rocking for HomeAid National Capital Region

Larry & The LandLawyers is a rock band born from the legal world, featuring three attorneys from Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh John Rinaldi, Mark Goetzman, Mike Kieffer, and longtime friend and client Larry Clark of Felice Development Group. The band regularly performs as part of Law Rocks, a global nonprofit concert series that brings together legal professionals to raise money for charitable causes.

Blending legal expertise with musical talent, Larry & The LandLawyers are proud to support organizations making a real impact in the community, including LUNGevity, in memory of their friend Pete Dolan, and HomeAid Northern Virginia, which builds and renovates shelters for those in need. Known for their energy on stage and commitment off it, the band proves that lawyers can rock — and do good — at the same time.

Lex Loco

Featuring legal talent from Maryland Office of the Attorney General; Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright; Lutzker & Lutzker
Rocking for Young Artists of America

Lex Loco is DC’s most original cover band, delivering power rock and pop anthems with flirtatious swagger and charisma to spare.

From Queen to Britney, these attorneys-by-day-rock-stars-by-night deliver banger after banger to boisterous crowds across the DMV.

People are saying the only thing more dangerous than Lex Loco in legal practice is Lex Loco on stage.

Lex Loco is Lexi Pozonsky (vocals), Arnold Alaniz (guitar), Ethan Barr (guitar and keys), Evan Allis (bass), and Will Elman (drums). The band will be raising money for Young Artists of America, which offers orchestral and musical theater training for elementary through high school students in the DC area.

www.lexlocoband.com
Instagram

Malicious Code

Featuring legal talent from Baker Hostetler; Fish and Richardson; Taft Stettinius & Hollister
Rocking for Catholic Charities Legal Network DC

Warning: Malicious Code will worm into your ears and camp out in your brain with a blend of classic, southern, and early 2000s rock as easily as a hacker on an unpatched network running Windows Server 2012. Starring Jon Knight, Ben Christoff, Justin Heminger, Darrell Stark, Kristen Bertch, and Nate Gibson. Yeah, we know you've been told not to trust us. But go ahead. Click the link. You'll love it.

Night Work

Featuring legal talent from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Rocking for Blood Cancer United

Led Zeppelin. Van Halen. Metallica. Each legends of rock in their own right, but none executing with the unmitigated musicality and Akin spirit of Night Work.

Night Work consists of attorneys from the DC office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The name Night Work was devised by a broader group of Akin musicians across the firm’s many offices in honor of the firm’s founder, Bob Strauss. Mr. Strauss famously said to a client that “You’ve given us your night work; now can we have your day work?”

Sporting a palatable blend of 70s, 80s and 90s influence, Night Work has taken the music landscape by storm and is ready to deliver another unforgettable evening of your favorite hits and hidden gems. The soaring vocals of Matt Nicely and J.R. Molm, virtuosic dynamism of Steve Kho on keys, infectious groove of Brian Pomper on bass, thrilling command of rhythm by Scott Alberino on drums and rip-roaring edge of Tom McCarthy on guitar create a one-of-a-kind sound that leaves audiences wanting more and other attorneys wondering if, they too, can live out their rockstar ambitions.

The Precedents

Featuring legal talent from Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Interactive Brokers; McGuire Woods; Miller Friel; the DOJ Appellate Division
Rocking for Gifts For The Homeless

The Precedents are an all-lawyer band with no ringers. They started playing charity gigs 20 years ago. The band features legal talent from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Interactive Brokers, McGuire Woods, and the DOJ Appellate Division. The Precedents are the band that all other lawyer bands must follow.

Sound Counsel

Featuring legal talent from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Rocking for Words, Beats & Life

SOUND COUNSEL makes its debut performance at Law Rocks DC 2025, bringing together Orrick attorneys and colleagues with a shared passion for great music and live shows. Sound Counsel’s sound is eclectic, high energy, loud and fun.

For the third year, Law Rocks is awarding a Music Matters grant in each city to benefit a local organization that supports music education, particularly for underserved youth. Law Rocks' Music Matters grant is an extension of our mission to promote music education for underserved youth - and support the next generation of rock stars! We are excited to announce FAME - Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education as a returning grant recipient, receiving the grant for the second year in a row.

Read our most recent Nonprofit Spotlight on FAME (2025).

We are proud the Tenth Annual Law Rocks Washington DC 2025 bands raised funds for the following organizations:

Featured

Featured

Host - Valerie Ojeda

This proud Chicago native is best known for her vocal versatility, boundless energy and magnetic charisma on stage.

During the week, Valerie Ojeda travels the country, working as an Event Emcee, Trade Show Presenter and Automotive Product Specialist, representing top companies like Panasonic, HPE, Microsoft, 3M and Honda, just to name a few.

On weekends, she manages and sings lead vocals for the wildly successful cover band, “Anthem Road,” playing in casinos, resorts, conventions, wineries, private parties and outdoor festivals, throughout the country. Anthem Road has shared the stage with such iconic 80’s bands as Berlin and Warrant, as well as some of the top tribute bands in the world. Valerie’s favorite musical moments to date were meeting rock legends Pat Benatar, Kip Winger, Jerry Dixon and Billy Ocean, as well as singing with Terri Nunn at The Canyon Club and singing the National Anthem before a Slaughter concert. But nothing compares to her experience performing for our U.S. Troops in Kuwait this summer!

For Valerie, being of service is the highest form of consciousness, so being able to give back to local communities, by being a part of Law Rocks, is an absolute dream come true!

aTradeShowPresenter.com

AnthemRoadBand.com

Featured

Judge - Michael Hepburn

In the mid-and-late 1970's Michael’s music achieved worldwide professional recognition through the success of his band, "Pleasure." Michael's compositions have been featured in the works of contemporary mainstream hip-hop and rap artists, including the soundtrack for the movie, “House Party” (“Kid vs. Play, the Battle”), Janet Jackson's 1997 release, "The Velvet Rope" (“Free Xone”) and Will Smith’s 2002 release, “Born to Reign” (“1000 Kisses”). In 2019 Pleasure released "Now Is The Time," available worldwide on Pleasure Records. A sample of Pleasure’s 2024 outdoor performance last June can be seen and heard here: Portland festival-goers treated to rare performance by iconic funk band Pleasure - OPB. One can also find a fascinating reference to the musically influential legacy of the Pleasure band in Questlove’s New York Times bestselling book, “Music Is History.”

Recently retired from practice as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting attorney for King County, Michael continues his songwriting, recording production, arranging, keyboard and vocal performance work in Seattle.

Judge - Daniel Pak

Daniel Pak, born and raised on O`ahu, is a singer, songwriter, producer, nonprofit executive, and arts and culture champion. As frontman for Kore Ionz from 2008-2018, Pak shared the stage with The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Steel Pulse, and many of reggae’s finest. Pak performs today with his band, The Lolos.

Pak is the co-founder and executive director of Totem Star, a creative youth development organization supporting a diverse community of young emerging recording artists through music production, performance, and mentorship. In January 2024 Totem Star opened the doors to its new state-of-the-art recording studio at King Street Station, built in partnership with the City of Seattle and the Cultural Space Agency.

Pak is a commissioner emeritus of the Seattle Music Commission and has also served as a Governor for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy. In November 2022 Pak was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame.

(Photo credit to Nat Silva)

Judge - Alexa Peters

Alexa Peters is Senior Digital Music Manager at KNKX Public Radio and a freelance journalist who specializes in arts & culture. Her journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, and The Stranger, among other outlets, and she has shared her expertise on local music and gender equity in the music industry on panels for Folklife Festival, Town Hall Seattle, and the University of Washington. She is currently co-authoring a book on the modern history of the Seattle jazz community with jazz critic Paul de Barros, to be published with University of Washington Press in 2027.

Judge - "DJ Riz" Rollins

i've been a dj since i was um about ten. a record player, a spindle, metal for the big records, and this circular pyramid for records with the big holes. i am from chicago, but not the chicago, you're thinking of. i live in seattle, but not the setalle you're thinking of. i like rock, hip hop, soul, gospel, funk, but not the rock, hip hop, soul, gospel, funk you're thinking of. my moms played jazz, but not the kind of jazz you're thinking of. i only remember my dad liking, miles and sinatra. but then he left.i was in a gospel group in bible college, but not the kind of bible college you're thinking of. i bought records, because nobody seemed to know how.at least not the people i lived with.i' have played music on turntable, transistor radio, teevee, 8 tracks, cassettes, reels, cd's, usb's,. i've hummed whistled, sang hooted, hooered music, but maybe not the music you're thinking of, in bedrooms ( lots of bedrooms , more bedrooms than i can remember). basements, alleys, libraries, church basements ( but prolly not the kind of churches, you're thinking of ),barns, in the woods, in the desert, on the ocean , in cities, villages, and lots and lots of clubs. for as few as 2 and as many as thousands. all my life but when my best friend john suggested that i be a dj at a radio station for a living, i told him, 'i couldn't possibly, because i didn't have the skills to do something as joyful as that.and then, maybe 2 years later ,i joined a radio station that was almost.thirty years ago.i been there since. I love to eat and to kiss. Music is not my first second, or even 3rd biggest love. When I’m down I pray. When I’m up I pray too.

Judge - Reginald Payne

Hailing from the Washington D.C. area, The Bass Negus is a professional bassist, composer, music director, and educator. Having a penchant for music as a toddler, he was playing three instruments at the ripe age of eight. By the time The Bass Negus graduated high school, he proficiently played eleven instruments in total. Focusing on bass, he gained a full scholarship to Bowie State University and subsequently to Berklee College of Music.

Professionally, The Bass Negus’ versatility has afforded him opportunities to perform both nationally and internationally with world-renowned musicians, vocalists, theater actors/directors, and orchestras, including vibraphonist Warren Wolfe, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-Award winners André De Shields, and Melba Moore, and The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Most recently, his talents were shared in Olney Theatre Center’s production of Fela!, and Broadway director/ actor Whitney White’s rock musical, Macbeth in Stride at D.C. 's critically acclaimed Shakespeare Theater Company.

As an in-demand sideman and soloist, The Bass Negus rotates between Gospel, Jazz, Blues, World Music, Funk, and Rock. Independently, he launched his brand, All Bass Creations, wherein he uses effects pedals, live looping, and software manipulation to produce fully composed songs/tracks with just his bass. All Bass Creations has performed at venues including The Kennedy Center, Washington Convention Center, The Strathmore, House of Blues, Blues Alley, Howard Theater, The Fillmore, and can be found on all music streaming platforms. Most recently, his composition, “Fighting Ways” received a sync placement with Paramount Studios.

As an educator, The Bass Negus works with the Maryland-based non-profit FAME - Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, leading private lessons and group music clinics.

Judge - Stacy Puente

Stacy Puente is (in no particular order), the frontwoman for numerous failed alternative rock bands, a lifelong student of humanity, and, at times, a lawyer. Her music reflects her experiences fighting the power and pursuing outrageous experiences across the space-time continuum.

Judge - Faith Roberts

Faith “Dutchie Dutch” Roberts, Esq. is an artist and attorney originally from Washington DC and currently living in Los Angeles. A small business owner and independent artist, Faith has published two EPs, and four albums in addition to writing and performing her music, trademarking and distributing merchandise, and providing consultation services to entrepreneurs and independent artists.

Faith has a long history in the music business – her parents’ record company MarSil Productions created and nationally distributed soul music compilations, and she began performing in GoGo bands at age 15 as a bassist. Faith attended DC Public Schools, graduated Trinity Washington University magna cum laude, and earned her law degree from the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law.

Faith has been a member of the DC Bar since 2021 and is pursuing certification as registered in-house counsel in California and New York as she continues her work serving as a passionate advocate for entertainers and entrepreneurs. She currently serves as a General Attorney for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Capital Access and is detailed to the Office of General Counsel for disaster loan assistance duties and litigation.